True Phillipine Mahogany any good?

[Craig D Peltier]

Have someone trying to sell me a pile of what she says is phillipine mahogany that her husband bought 20 years ago for a wooden boat.
Its been sitting outside under an overhang.
when I think phillipine I automatically think luan. But the older stuff true Phillipine is good i think???
yes no?
Any character of the wood you might know of, I have handled khaya an honduras before and I have both here.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yep, "phillipine mahogany" is lauan. It is good for cabinet backs and such. When you put finish on it, it just lies there. It has none of the beauty of Honduras mahogany.

[Kent Chasson]

"Phillipine mahogany" is a trade name, not a species. It can be any number if species. Meranti used to be sold under that name and it is very nice wood when quartered. Nice radial flecking. I believe that's what they used to panel the inside of the old Chris-Craft boats.

[Howard Acheson]

I would suggest you google "philippine mahogany" and see whta it says. There is a sidebar with ruling by the US FTC about what wood can be called "mahogany.

[Craig D Peltier]

This wood was purchased as Phillipine Mahogany in 1982 for a 42 ft catamaran. Around Port Townsend Washington there is/was alot of boat builders and they were all using the same stuff around that time. Thats what I was told today. I may see it on wednesday.

[david brum]

I built a buffet out of Meranti (also called Phillipine Mahogany as previously mentioned) which I got at Edensaw in Port Townsend. There is a wide range of wood color and density, so you have to sort carefully. The word "meranti" apparently means "tree" in Tagolag, so it could really be anything that grows in the region that kinda looks like mahogany. The wood often exhibits ribbon striping, where the grain changes direction every inch or so. This can be an interesting challenge with hand planes. It built into a beautiful buffet though, which I finished with a couple of coats of shellac.

Please note that this stuff has lots of protective toxins which will be released as you cut it. Good dust collection and dust mask are really important. It's also nice to work with long sleeves when you're sanding, as the dust can be a skin irritant.

[Tony Bilello]

Basically, it is Luan. Phillipine Mahogany was never an expensive wood nor have any real value in furniture making. When stained with Red Mahogany and the grain is filled, it is not a bad looking wood. Again, nothing to write home about and nothing earth shattering either but OK. It got the name because it looks like mahogany when stained with Mahogany stain, but I think it is really a form of cedar. I have used it before in building ribs and framing for boats.